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It was evident as the NHL Draft Day approached on Friday, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher was not done reshaping his team during the offseason. It was obvious that he was inclined to trade pick # 14 if the right deal came up.
And now, it is evident that Fletcher felt that the acquisition of Buffalo Sabers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was considered “the good deal”.
Hours before the start of the 2021 NHL Draft, the Flyers announced they had sent in their 2021 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick and defenseman Robert Hägg in Buffalo for Ristolainen, 26, who just wrapped up his eighth season in the NHL. After another tough campaign with the Sabers in 2020-21, Ristolainen admitted he wasn’t ready for another rebuild, strongly implying he wanted to leave Buffalo. He got his wish and the Flyers nabbed a player Fletcher said the organization had targeted for three years.
“He can shoot the puck. He knows how to skate. He is big and strong. I think when you look at our defensive body now, we have a pretty good mix of young and veteran players, ”Fletcher said shortly after finalizing the trade. “We have guys who can play on the power play and on the penalty kill. We have size and obviously with (Ryan) Ellis we have added a lot of experience to accompany Justin Braun. I think our group, the pieces fit together well and the strength of a defender often depends on the strength of the group. I think all of these guys can complement each other and help each other develop their game. ”
Last weekend’s trade to Ellis could be
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